​At a time when there are 9.4 million women-owned businesses in the US, supporting women entrepreneurs is not just a good cause but also a necessity for economic growth.

The LBD (Little Black Dress) is a fun and fashionable fundraiser created by SKY Armory that benefits the WISE Women's Business Center (WBC). This celebratory night will take place on Friday, October 14th, from 7-11 pm at SKY Armory.

Our president and creative director, Nicole Samolis, herself a woman business owner, has been heavily and passionately involved in working with the WISE WBC for a decade. Having started her company before the emergence of WISE, she knows firsthand the value of the business development resources and networking provided by the WISE Women's Business Center. The center offers mentoring and consulting services to women entrepreneurs, as well as networking opportunities.

The festive evening, celebrating the 10th anniversary of WISE WBC, will include a runway-style fashion show, emceed by Jackie Terribile, highlighting local designers, retailers and models.

​In case you need more reasons to attend this beautiful evening, a stunning gold Little Black Dress necklace (a $225 value) will be raffled at the end of the night. Live entertainment will be playing throughout the evening, so you can dance the night away.

Click here for more information and to book your ticket for this amazing fundraiser that supports local women entrepreneurs in your community.

This $75 silver pendant on a Tiffany's style chain with blackcubic zirconium stones has been designed by Cazenovia Jewelery exclusively for the Little Black Dress Fundraiser. Proceeds benefit the ​WISE Women's Business Center.

Click here to purchase your necklace, once on the page, click on 'Get Tickets' on the top right-hand side, then scroll down the page to where it says LBD Necklace.

A huge thank you goes out to the 90+ golfers who came out for a great day on the course at Beaver Meadows. Together, these 23 teams raised $5,200 for the Syracuse Silverbacks Youth Rugby Team which was played in memory of Sean M. Samolis, a founding member and captain of the rugby team. The money raised funds team scholarships and defrays the costs of equipment, registration fees, and other costs.

The game was played as a captain & crew and many teams also competed in the skins and putting contests.

We are also very grateful to our sponsors who supported the annual tournament with raffle prize donations, tee and green signs, and Pro Shop gift cards for course contests.

Last fall, a couple came in to talk about an engagement party they wanted to throw. But when we met with Sean and Danielle, they filled us in on their secret--they were planning to host a surprise wedding by getting married at the 'engagement' party! They were able to pull it off and we had a lot of fun being in on the surprise. For Sean and Danielle, who wed in September, the romance was a whirlwind. In late March 2014, they met through a mutual friend who was sure Sean was Danielle's future husband. A week after they met, they went on their first date; a month later, she moved in with him, and a month after that they began talking marriage. We asked Danielle (and Sean) to talk a little about their surprise wedding:

"We never actually made a conscious decision to have a very short engagement. We both just wanted to be together. I know it seems fast in reality, but we knew we wanted to spend our lives together. We were driving one day talking about wedding ideas, what he would want, what I would want, just a casual conversation. We were not even engaged at the time. We start talking about how big or little our wedding would be, and Sean said, 'You know what would be great? If we just had a party and surprised everyone and got married!' And I agreed. It took off from there."

"We were very secretive at the start. We hired The Events Company to plan the wedding in early June. We hadn't told anyone yet, which was really hard because my family is super close. Mom knew first, mom always knows everything first. Very slowly we each spoke to individuals that we knew we wanted to be part of the wedding. And they were sworn to secrecy. It turns out we have pretty good secret keepers in our circle.I would say that 70% of the guests were completely surprised. We had to try and throw people off, so there were some lies and storytelling, but it was completely worth it. If we had it to do over again, we would."

Even though the wedding was a surprise, the couple managed to celebrate the day with the most important people to them in attendance. About six out-of-town guests were clued in ahead of time so they could attend, but for everyone else not in the wedding party, the wedding remained a secret. By way of the surprise, Sean and Danielle's guest list managed itself in terms of keeping it intimate.

"We agreed many times that if our engagement party isn't important enough to go to, we don't want you at the wedding. I know that's harsh. But how many distant relatives do you have, or coworkers, or long lost friends, whom you invite to weddings and birthday parties out of obligation? We figured that by inviting roughly everyone we knew, we covered ourselves fulfilling the obligation part, knowing that people would make the choice of "waiting for the wedding." I was hurt by a couple people who didn't make it, and have had some disgruntled people who have said 'had I known...' But that's the point. No one knew. And they all were there anyways."

When Sean and Danielle started to reveal their plans at the initial meeting, they didn't have a venue in mind. Nicole listed to their ideas and suggested the Palace Theatre.

"We wanted to have an "engagement party" and then mid-way through, play a video the guests would focus on, and we could potentially be standing behind the screen where the video was, the screen would lift and we would be standing behind it. We pitched that idea to Nicole and she suggested the Palace Theatre. We knew when we saw it that it was going to be the place to pull it off. "

Once all the guests had arrived and everyone was enjoying the engagement party, Sean and Danielle asked their guests to enter the theater for a video. As the video played, they changed into their formal dress. As the slideshow of photos of the couple ended, the last slide was a Save the Date--with that night's date. The bridal party procession followed and their ceremony was short and sweet, performed by Danielle's brother who was ordained online. They exchanged brief, funny vows and then got right down to the party.

"We wanted everyone to have a good time. Good food and lots of fun. That's why we decided to nix a lot of the usual wedding formalities: No dollar dance, no garter toss or bouquet toss (though they kept a few of the traditional elements, such as the first, father-daughter, and mother-son dances, and the cake cutting).We really just wanted to have a huge party where we could all just have a great time."

Danielle had her heart set on a black and white color scheme with pops of red. The surprise was the most important detail to Sean, so as that was under control, Danielle worked with us to select decor and set the stage, so to speak. Throughout the lobby were enlarged photos of Danielle and Sean, in place of posters for shows. The ceremony was held on the theater stage (which also served as the dance floor later) and Sean and Danielle said their vows between two tall loose arrangements. The reception tables looked sophisticated in black linens tied with red and were topped by simple low flower arrangements.

"The one thing I really wanted, which in hindsight was not the best idea, was to have the whole room of the ceremony completely lit by candles. That was our wedding favor--candles with our names and the date on them. Word to the wise: Don't try this. In theory, a completely candle-lit room is totally romantic. In reality, people were trying to juggle candles and drinks and cameras, and a few were dropped and broken. And the dim lighting does not help your photographer. Light is super important for pictures, and though our photographer was able to get some shots, the pictures our guests got were borderline terrible. So brides, I'm telling you, the brighter the room the better! Also, because the whole thing goes by so fast, most of your memories will only be in photos."

Sean and Danielle added some other special touches to their menu, as well: "Mashed potato bar! Best idea ever! It was a favorite of the guests also. I'm sure the open bar was also a highlight, haha, but mashed potato bar. It. Was. Awesome."

The white and sweet mashed potatoes were served with toppings in martini glasses.

Their graphic cake was modeled after a sample cake their bakery, Sweet Indulgence, had in their shop.

"We actually had chosen a square cake. A few days before the wedding we were told that square Styrofoam, which one of the layers was to be, was on back order. So our cake was round. It wasn't quite what I wanted, but in the end, we put a wedding together in 10 weeks from beginning to end. There were other battles to worry about."

In addition to pulling off the surprise, Sean and Danielle created a wedding that was very 'them.'

"I don't know if I could pinpoint the best part of that day. One of my favorite things about the whole thing is the after. And yes, I mean being married to the love of my life, but also the reaction of all the guests. That we did something so different and unique. Sean told me that when he visited another branch of his company weeks after our wedding, people were still raving about it. We could have gone the traditional route, but it's just not us. And since this has been mostly my point of view I can also say, my husband is a larger-than-life kind of guy. A traditional sit-down formal dinner just didn't fit. Doing something outside the norm just felt more us. And that's a pretty amazing feeling too."

The 13th annual WISE Symposium went off with great success last week. For the first time it was held at the Carrier Dome on the Syracuse University campus. This was by design so that students, particularly those at Whitman School of Management and the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship could attend. Sharing knowledge, experiences, and insight is one of biggest benefits of a symposium like WISE. Entrepreneurs from a variety of industries came from around Syracuse and around the country to ignite the passion of local women who own their own businesses or dream of doing so one day.

There were so many wonderful speakers, we couldn't hit everything, but here are some valuable takeaways that might help push you in the right direction for your business or endeavor. You can still see some of the tweets with hashtag #WISE2015.

The federal government has a 5% goal of contracting with women and hasn't reached that goal yet. Maria Contreras-Sweet, administrator of the Small Business Administration encouraged attendees to get certified for government contracting. @MCS4Biz @SBAgov

A vision board can become something you walk by and don't interact enough with - Jamila Payne suggests you try a vision journal that you carry with you. Tape in pictures that speak to the areas of life you want to address. @jamilapayne

Think about what you can or should do yourself (where the most value comes from you being personally involved), what you can delegate (what is taking you away from the things that will most help you achieve your goals), and what you can delete (things that no longer help you reach the specific goal you are trying to achieve). @jamilapayne

Coincidentally, on the same day as WISE, Entrepreneur posted this article about key areas to delegate.

Email is everyone else's to-do list for you. Take the first hour of every day, don't look at email, and work on your business, not in it. @jamilapayne

Reflective time management, a concept from Joanne DelBalso: Knowing exactly what you spend your time on can help you manage your day. For a few few weeks, track your time spent on the various activities you do and categorize them into six life centers: body (physical goals - health, wellness), brain (intellectual goals, things that stimulate your brain), being (spiritual goals, "me time"), time (organizational goals), people (nurturing those people most important to you, friends and family), and money (financial goals). When you see where your time goes, you are able to take actions to correct where time isn't being spent on the right things to reach your goals. @nofussacctng

Joanne recommends a 'brain dump' at night: write down everything that's on your mind before bed; in the morning organize into action items or schedule appropriate meetings into your calendar.@nofusscctng

An excuse is a declaration to yourself that the fulfillment of your desires isn't enough of a priority for you to do what is required. Tough love from Kelly Covert and Maggie Quinn. @SBWHeart

Shift your perception: are you looking at what is right or what is wrong? Most people are trained to look at the negative, and that allows you to leave options out.@SBWHeart

Three reasons it's hard to make a decision: you're not equipped, you're not empowered, or you're not connected. Productivity expert Nikita Devereaux @nikitadevereaux

You're a leader by providing opportunities for others to do good, and achieve what they never thought they could. From the acceptance speech of Carmen Gendebien owner of Glow Spa and winner of the Key4Women Achievement award winner

"We overestimate what we can do in short amount of time, but underestimate what we can do over long period of time." Words by Gretchen Rubin, shared by afternoon keynote speaker Tory Johnson. @toryjohnson

"Even if the best thing that happened today was that an email to a potential contact didn't come back undelivered, celebrate that. Focus on what you can be grateful for." @toryjohnson

Once you are engaged and start planning, it's common to start worrying about finding the perfect dress and fitting into it. Or sometimes you just need that extra incentive to start making healthier choices.

Health and fitness has always been a big part of my life. I was a gymnast for 14 years, was a coach for many years after that, and have always been a regular at the gym. For my wedding, I wanted to really get myself into the best shape possible. My fitness routine was a bit stale so investing in a personal trainer for the big day was a perfect solution. I not only received incredible fitness results – losing weight and body fat – but I gained an incredible mentor. Through my own training, my passion for fitness was re-sparked. It was during this time before my wedding (July-September 2014) that I became a Certified Personal Trainer. I was married shortly after in October 2014 and felt more confident and healthy than I have in my whole life. Since then, my passion and drive has become stronger with each day!

When planning your wedding, you choose the perfect vendors for your flowers, decor, dress, etc. You want everything to look “perfect”. What about YOU?! Since I was just a bride and I know first-hand the stress that goes into looking fabulous on "your day" I thought this would be a perfect fit.

I believe that everyone is unique and that everyone has a different version of healthy. One bride’s vision of fit could look completely different than another bride’s. I think the most important part is to set a goal and a plan of action to reach that goal. I see so many brides put a plan into action – a fitness routine, diet, etc. and stay on the right track…right up until about 2 months before their wedding. Then the stress and anxiety kicks in and they fall off track. This can be so discouraging and really THAT is the time that you want to be working the hardest. Not only from a looks stand-point, but also as a stress-reliever. I think, if you have a trainer, you have someone keeping you accountable. A trainer will keep you on track, making sure you are where you need to be, and will almost FORCE you to take that time to yourself to sweat out some stress!

Also, staying positive is ALWAYS important. You can be your own best friend or your own worst enemy. Constantly feeding yourself negative thoughts will only bring you down. Keeping positive, upbeat thoughts and mantras in your mind (even if you don’t fully believe them just yet) will keep your motivation alive and keep a gorgeous smile on your face!

Aubrey trains at Towne Center Fitness in Fayetteville which includes two private studios and a small private gym. Prices vary by frequency and addition of bridal boot camp or other available options. In general, the closer the wedding, the more frequent the sessions.

You've heard us talking about the WISE 2015 Symposium and maybe you saw the billboard looming large over 481 S, but do you know what WISE is really all about?

If you own your own small or mid-size business, or dream of one day being your own boss, the WISE Symposium will fuel your fire and help you make that dream a reality.

In 2003, the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship, under the umbrella of Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management, developed WISE: Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship. WISE is an initiative to train and inspire women interested in launching or growing a business venture. The goals of WISE's programs are to provide information, resources, and support for women entrepreneurs, enabling each to successfully advance their businesses to the next stage of profitability and success. Their mission is to create a thriving community of women entrepreneurs through two initiatives: the one-day WISE Symposium and the year-round WISE Women’s Business Center.

This year will be the symposium's 13th; we've helped plan and produce the annual event for 9 years. The day-long conference brings together local business owners for a full agenda of speakers, interaction and networking, and an expo where local services and business owners can learn more about each other, find needed services, build relationships, get health & wellness screenings, get a one-on-one digital media consultations, and buy retail goods from local vendors. WISE encourages participants to not only focus on their business, but their life outside of work and their health, too.

Speakers, breakout sessions, and expo-floor workshops will touch on marketing and branding, skills needed to be successful (personal branding, time management, dealing with challenges), making the sale, and the importance of social media in both marketing your business and customer service. Speaking of social media, using the hashtag #WISE2015 during the event will allow you to participate in the Twitter party on-site, as well as follow along with the tips, tricks, and sage advice if you can't attend.

In the afternoon, after much inspiration and education, awards will be given out to recognize the achievements of local business owners.

Some additional highlights:

WISE Women's Business Center Connections Cafe: An opportunity to speak one-on-one with various counselors about services available to local women in business

SU Bookstore, which will also be selling WISE Women Wear Orange t-shirts!

You will be inspired by the stories of the women and men who have forged their own paths in business, you will learn something new, and you will come away with actionable items you can put into place to move yourself and your business forward.

This year WISE Symposium will be at the Carrier Dome on Tuesday, April 21, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, with a networking tailgate party to follow on the expo floor. Click here to buy your ticket.

Being locally minded doesn’t just mean frequenting independent retailers and restaurants, though we love doing that. Being locally minded also means working to make our community better for all who live here. Since 1985, Food Bank of Central New York has been providing food to people in need and working to eliminate hunger in our area.

We have worked with Food Bank for the past 15 years on Savor Syracuse, an annual fundraiser. In honor of The Food Bank’s 30th anniversary in 2015, we have come up with something new and exciting that we hope you will join us for!

Cork Hunger: A Wine Auction to Benefit Food Bank of Central New York is a cocktail reception, multi-course wine dinner, and wine auction (both silent and live) taking place at SKY Armory on Friday, April 24, 2015. This event will be a great resource for everyday wine enthusiasts and a way for collectors to score hard-to-find bottles.

Cork Hunger will be a key fundraising component of the Food Bank’s year-long celebration to mark their milestone anniversary. The goal is to raise $150,000, which will directly support Food Bank’s continued efforts to alleviate hunger in central and northern New York and fund education programs, as well.Our auction committee of fine wine aficionados is reaching out to wineries around the globe and private cellars requesting they send a single bottle or case of some of their best vintages to Syracuse. We are asking members of our community to donate wine and wine-related items with a minimum retail value of $75.00 that can be auctioned at the event.If you have a special vintage or another wine-related item, and are interested in making a tax-deductible donation, please click here to fill out the donation form.We are also looking for supportive organizations to help sponsor this event – there are a variety of levels to choose from.Between now and April 24, we’ll be using #corkhunger and we look forward to unveiling the Cork Hunger logo and sharing information and updates! Stay tuned!

We and the Food Bank are committed to responsible drinking – you must be age 21 or older to attend this event, consume alcohol, or purchase alcohol.

We realized in talking to some of our long-time clients that there may be a little confusion about how The Events Company and SKY Armory work, both separately and together. So we'd like to help clear that up!

The Events Company (TEC), which has been in business for 18 years, is not changing. We are still your go-to for exceptional weddings, corporate meetings and events, Bat and Bar Mitzvahs, milestone birthdays and anniversaries (both social and corporate), galas, bashes, fundraisers, awards dinners, community events - you name it! We are an event planning and design company and we will help you plan your event at any location.

Our sister company, SKY Armory, is an event venue in downtown Syracuse. SKY has its own staff, which includes a sales manager, executive chef, food & beverage manager, event planners, and kitchen, dining, and service staff. SKY is an urban open-loft style space and it is one of the larger event venues in Central New York - SKY is able to hold up to 900 people between the two large ballrooms and has already hosted or booked many of the types of events listed above.

The companies, both owned by Nicole and Kevin Samolis, are two separate entities with their own staffs: The Events Company event planners and production team manage events at indoor and outdoor locations all over the region (and beyond). SKY Armory's staff handles events held only at SKY Armory.

When you come to The Events Company about your event, depending on your projected headcount, event style and vision, we may suggest SKY as a venue if we think it's right for you. If you select SKY Armory as the venue for your event, you'll still work directly with your TEC planner, who will liaise with the management staff at SKY to help schedule decor meetings and tastings.

SKY is not only one more great local venue in our arsenal of top venues in the area, it provides a very different atmosphere than other locations where you might have held events. If you choose another location for your event, your TEC planner will guide you through the planning process and day-of management.

As always, our goal is to ease the stress and pain of event planning for you and help you create a memorable event that people talk about long after they depart.

We often help organizations of all kinds produce fundraising events. When you're producing an event that benefits a cause or a charity, getting attendees and potential donors to feel as passionately about the issue as you do is key. Creating an emotional connection means that you could potentially raise more money for the organization, and you may earn new supporters who continue efforts to raise awareness and funds beyond the event itself.

Having something tangible makes the challenges others face seem more real. In Brooklyn, past-its-prime food and a scrubbed-down garbage dumpster have become the foundation for Salvage Supperclubs. Conceptualized by designer Josh Treuhaft for his recent master's thesis, the idea is to create a six-course meal from food that is imperfect or about to be thrown away. Guests pay $50 (suggested donation) to attend the dinner and the goal is to raise awareness about how much food is actually wasted unnecessarily. The proceeds from the dinners go to various charities dealing with hunger relief, healthy food access, and other food-related concerns.

A Huffington Post article on the supper clubs stated this: "According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, American families throw out about 25 percent of their groceries each year, often because they don't maximize the food's full use -- for example, some people throw away broccoli stems and only use the florets -- or they don't know how to store perishable items correctly. What's more, according to the World Resources Institute, about one-third of all food produced worldwide gets lost or wasted in food production and consumption systems annually."

Having guests sit in a dumpster eating food that was nearly wasted creates a much bigger impact than having them listen to speeches, however impassioned.

Another great example of this strategy is from charity: water. Most of us have likely seen pictures of African villagers carrying large jugs of water back to their homes. You see the image and you understand that getting clean water is hardship in many places, but you don't necessarily connect with the reality of it. Charity: water held an event where guests were encouraged to carry a standard 40-pound jerry can of water about 50 yards. The guests couldn't believe how heavy the cans were and how hard it is to move the cans even a short distance. Guests were able to more fully realize the difficulty many people face in accessing a basic human right and felt more passionately that something must be done.

For another clever example, see this article from Event Solutions. Creative ideas like these create a physical and emotional experience that garner a much larger investment from guests and benefit the cause in a more meaningful way.

Sometimes when we receive a call from a new client, it's actually the mother of the bride (and occasionally, the mother of the groom) who starts the conversation either because they're helping to foot the bill or because the engaged couple isn't living locally but wants to get married here in Syracuse.

Helping your child plan their wedding while navigating the expectations, responsibilities, and etiquette of how involved to be can be daunting. Brides magazine recently launched their new section devoted to the mothers.

The section includes lots of links to fashion and beauty slideshows, planning and etiquette articles, and blog posts dealing with the topics and advice most moms wonder about. We think it's a great start for our clients and all moms preparing for this milestone.

﻿What we do:﻿

The Events Company is a Syracuse event planningcompany specializing in the design, planning, and production of weddings, corporate events and meetings, galas, bashes, showers, milestone birthday and anniversary parties, and fundraisers.